Nameling

Iona

Gender
Girl
Say it
eye-OH-na
Origin
Scottish
UK rank, 2025
#370 for girls
US rank, 2025
#2,645 for girls

Big in Scotland

Iona is a girls' name of Scottish origin. In 2025 it ranked 370th for girls in the UK (129 babies) and 2,645th for girls in the US (65 babies).

What does Iona mean?

Scottish: from the Hebridean island

Saint Columba founded a monastery on Iona in 563, from which Christianity spread through Scotland.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Iona a girl's or a boy's name?

Iona is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 129 girls in the UK and 65 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Iona in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#370among girls
Babies in 2025
129about 1 in 2,200 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 25% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 129 girls in the UK were named Iona, making it the 370th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 310th. Its busiest year was 2000, with 334 girls.

2025 had the fewest girls named Iona since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the girls named Iona in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

Among girls in 2025, it was 520th in England and Wales, 86th in Scotland and 397th in Northern Ireland.

1996Busiest: 334 in 20002025
Iona in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025129#370
2024142#338
2023143#342
2022136#356
2021180#293
2020168#310
2019176#302
2018208#265
2017174#305
2016179#307
2015189#285
2014229#243
2013189#274
2012209#266
2011221#251
2010221#253
2009215#250
2008252#229
2007293#207
2006302#192
2005230#230
2004220#232
2003239#214
2002240#198
2001263#180
2000334#154
1999312#164
1998269#178
1997246#201
1996209#215

How popular is Iona in the US?

Rank in 2025
#2,645among girls
Babies in 2025
65about 1 in 25,000 girls
Five-year trend
Steadydown 6% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 65 girls in the US were named Iona, making it the 2,645th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,061st. Its busiest year was 1918, with 404 girls.

Half of all the girls named Iona in the US since 1880 were born between 1917 and 1944, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 404 in 19182025
Iona in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202565#2,645
202461#2,775
202356#2,975
202276#2,404
202166#2,608
202052#3,061
201973#2,428
201868#2,557
201749#3,247
201659#2,866
201565#2,712
201459#2,886
201345#3,463
201242#3,710
201139#3,842
201044#3,571
200936#4,195
200830#4,880
200733#4,474
200639#3,853
200528#4,700
200435#3,985
200323#5,230
200222#5,250
200133#3,860
200026#4,522
199920#5,213
199817#5,794
199723#4,505
199610#8,127
19955#13,380
19949#8,798
199315#5,949
199210#8,057
19919#8,580
19908#9,241
198913#6,154
198812#6,272
198712#5,918
198615#4,961
19859#6,952
198415#4,736
198321#3,686
198215#4,714
198112#5,570
198015#4,742
197914#4,841
197821#3,512
197717#4,068
197618#3,677
197519#3,513
197421#3,212
197326#2,689
197218#3,404
197120#3,266
197024#2,856
196919#3,101
196817#3,168
196737#1,921
196620#2,751
196526#2,344
196433#2,070
196330#2,171
196231#2,112
196140#1,806
196037#1,854
195957#1,416
195845#1,587
195734#1,868
195657#1,377
195571#1,185
195468#1,212
195358#1,275
195267#1,155
195182#1,026
195071#1,089
194965#1,120
194875#1,011
194771#1,054
194695#848
194580#842
194494#787
1943109#742
1942112#704
194189#756
194097#706
1939147#551
1938128#604
1937123#606
1936162#515
1935162#499
1934178#480
1933186#474
1932194#474
1931235#421
1930232#442
1929279#398
1928275#409
1927300#398
1926263#422
1925294#399
1924332#374
1923343#356
1922331#364
1921360#345
1920374#338
1919352#342
1918404#317
1917330#346
1916320#344
1915270#364
1914164#414
1913147#405
1912141#389
1911110#385
1910124#356
1909101#361
1908101#358
190793#366
190683#375
190588#357
190490#343
190373#373
190262#395
190164#372
190083#370
189939#467
189852#427
189757#382
189656#377
189550#397
189448#404
189344#404
189244#401
189128#483
189037#412
188937#398
188831#443
188722#471
188618#528
188523#438
188417#501
188318#451
188222#377
188118#393
188018#388

Names like Iona

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Anna Emma Eleanor Georgia Ella Helena Matilda Lydia Lucy Ida Harriet Etta

Names related to Iona

Ioana Ina Ione Ona Iyonna Ionna Iyona

More Scottish names

Isla Finley Logan Arabella Cameron Bonnie Paisley Brody Carson Maxwell Brodie Finlay Blair Lennox Skye Knox

Every Scottish name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Iona: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/iona, updated 20 October 2026.